Design, Nike
The Cortez Autopsy: How Bill Bowerman Ripped Apart the Competition
Forget the waffle iron myth. Nike’s Cortez was Frankenstein-stitched from the remains of its rivals.
4 min readNike
Marketing, Nike
Nike's $500K Hostage: How Sonny Vaccaro Birthed Air Jordan
Sonny Vaccaro forced Nike to bet its $500K budget on a reluctant rookie. Inside the rogue 1984 mutiny that birthed the Air Jordan empire.
7 min read
History, Nike
The Nike Mutiny: How Strasser & Moore Defected to Adidas
When Rob Strasser and Peter Moore resigned from Nike, they smuggled the corporate blueprints to rival Adidas. Inside the 1987 pirate mutiny.
7 min read
Finance, Nike
Nike's 1980 IPO: The Same Week With Apple Inc.
While Apple viewed its 1980 IPO as a coronation, Nike used Wall Street to escape crushing debt. Inside Phil Knight's hostage negotiation.
5 min read
Design, Nike
Nike's Air Max 1: Tinker Hatfield's Corporate Bloodbath
Nike executives tried to fire Tinker Hatfield for the Air Max 1. Inside the 1987 corporate bloodbath that forced an empire to cut itself open.
7 min read
Marketing, Nike
Baltimore Syndicate: How Three Rogue Merchants Hijacked the Modern Sneaker Economy
Nike killed the Air Force 1 in 1984. Three Baltimore merchants fronted the cash to resurrect it. And changed the market forever.
6 min read
History, Nike
The Toxic Audit Leak: When Plausible Deniability Choked on Toluene
Nike secretly quantified the toxic toluene choking its overseas workers. Inside the leaked 1997 audit that shattered their public defense.
6 min read
Finance, Nike
Nike's Check-Kiting Fraud: The 1975 Nissho Iwai Bailout
Nike survived 1975 via federal check-kiting fraud. Inside the frozen accounts and the Japanese bailout that kept Phil Knight out of prison.
6 min read
Marketing, Nike
Nike's "Just Do It" Origin: The Firing Squad Slogan
Nike's "Just Do It" Origin: The Firing Squad Slogan0:00/536.0308331× I spent three days locked in a forgotten corporate
6 min read
Design, Nike
Asymmetrical Weapon: How a $35 Sketch Hacked Human Perception
Desperate Phil Knight paid Carolyn Davidson $35 for the Nike Swoosh. We investigate how a rushed, asymmetrical blade hacked human visual psychology.
6 min read
History, Nike
The Briefcase Espionage: How a Stolen Hit List Birthed an Empire
Phil Knight secured his sportswear empire by breaching a Japanese supplier's briefcase. Inside the 1974 court records of corporate espionage.
7 min read